It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Back in 2011, I was an avid reader who had somehow lost my way with reading. Between working and being a full-time student, reading for pleasure had slowly fallen by the wayside.

I wanted to change that. So I gave myself a New Year's resolution to read one book every week for a year. I started A Book A Week on January 1, 2012 as a way to hold myself accountable and share what I was reading along the way.

I didn't quite reach my goal that first year, but I kept reading. I kept reviewing. And all these years later, I'm still here, looking forward to whatever book comes next. Some years I crush my goals, some years I don't, but my love for a good book has never wavered.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

I'm a lifelong reader with a particular soft spot for mysteries and thrillers. I've always loved the genre, and I credit those stories—the twists, suspense, and need to know what happens next—with keeping me a reader as an adult. My reading has taken me in all kinds of directions since then, but I'll always come back to a good mystery.

I love creepy horror novels. A fascinating work of nonfiction can completely pull me in, too. And I've found plenty of favorites in science fiction, literary fiction, romance, and other genres I might never have picked up when I first started the blog. That's part of the fun. I never quite know what kind of story is going to grab me next.

When I'm not reading or writing reviews, you'll usually find me at home with my husband and our pets. I'm a classically trained musician and composer, an enthusiastic home cook, and a backyard gardener. There's usually a trip to look forward to or some new project that has caught my interest, too.

At the end of the day, I just really love books. There's nothing quite like discovering a story I can't put down or finding an author I can't wait to read again. Even when a book doesn't quite work for me, I still enjoy thinking about why and putting those thoughts into words. That's what keeps me reading, reviewing, and sharing it all here on A Book A Week.

Honest reviews, always.

Some of the books I review are ones I've purchased myself. Others are provided by publishers or authors in exchange for an honest review. Either way, what I write here is always what I really think.

Not every book is going to work for every reader, and that's part of the fun of talking about books. I'll tell you what worked for me, what didn't, and hopefully give you enough to decide whether a book might be right for you.

Good, bad, or somewhere in between, you'll always get my honest take.

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I'm always happy to hear from readers, publishers, authors, and fellow book lovers.

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I'm always open to considering books for review. I read across a pretty wide range of genres, though mysteries and thrillers tend to be particular favorites. If you'd like me to consider a book, send along a little information about it and why you think it might be a good fit for A Book A Week.

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At first glance, Anomaly Flats is the picture perfect example of an old fashioned small town. Located somewhere off the main highway, the quaint town emerges from a winding road and reveals the buildings from a bygone era. With a vintage diner, theater, and bar, Anomaly Flats is as "if the American Dream were a town."

Mallory Jenkins is driving to Canada with little more than a backpack that contains something worth running away with. She does her best to keep a low profile until a wrong turn and car trouble leave her stranded in Anomaly Flats. Determined to spend as little time off the road as possible, Mallory wanders into the Nite-Owl Diner and begins to discover the true nature of the city.

Anomaly Flats is a richly drawn setting that contains much more than meets the eye. Every person and place that Mallory encounters has some kind of quirk. From the diner that only has one item on its menu and coffee that keeps the residents sterile to a Board of Tourism employee who discharges flies from her mouth, and even tentacle infested plumbing, Anomaly Flats is revealed to be a mysterious and sometimes dark place that defies any logical explanation. Even worse for Mallory is the fact that the town rarely attracts any outsiders and has rarely seen a citizen leave. As she waits for her car to be repaired by the only mechanic in the town, Mallory struggles to maintain her sanity and to find a way to escape Anomaly Flats.

Author Clayton Smith delivers an immensely inventive and endlessly entertaining B-movie of a novel in Anomaly Flats. Best resembling something out of the old Twilight Zone T.V. series, this genre-defying novel combines darker sci-fi and mystery elements with Smith's wit and humor to delightful effect. The people and places who inhabit Anomaly Flats are so skillfully imagined that my only complaint with the novel is that I wish I could have spent more time exploring it. While I never felt that the story was rushed, the end of the novel left me wanting something more. That being said, Anomaly Flats is a refreshingly original novel that I devoured over a couple nights and one that I highly recommend.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2015, 35)

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Olivia's CatastropheDecember 7, 2015 at 11:14 PM
This sounds like my kind of book and I like the idea of the slightly darker hint of sci-fi in it. I am glad you could like it!

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About Me

It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

Honest reviews, always.

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